Spiritual Discernment
                                                                                                 By Pastor F. M. Riley
                                                                                                 May 12, 2018
     "And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever.
     Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him; but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you,"   John 14:16-17.

     "Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come."
                                                                                   John 16:13
     "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
     But he that is spiritual judgeth [discerneth] all things, yet he himself is judged [discerned] of no man," 1 Corinthians 2:14-15.  
Introduction
     These text Scriptures are stated plainly enough that any true believer should be able to understand what they are saying.  Nevertheless, in this study, I want to look at each of them a little closer.
     When Christ came into the world at His first coming, no man was indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God.  The indwelling of the Holy Spirit in a true believer is strictly a New Testament doctrine.  In the Old Testament, the Spirit of God would come upon someone for some special purpose, but when that purpose was fulfilled, then the Spirit would return to the Father.  
The Indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit
     John 14:16-17.......But the coming of the Lord Jesus into the world changed all of that. Christ Himself enlightened and encouraged and comforted His diciples during His personal ministry.  But He knew He was going to leave them, and go back to Heaven to His Father.  So, in John 14:16-17, the Lord told His disciples that He would pray, and ask Father God to give them "another Comforter," and that Comforter would never leave them.  And the Lord did exactly what He promised He would do.
     John 16:13.......In the passage in John 16:13, the Lord told His disciples that when the Holy Spirit came, He would "guide you into all truth," and would "show you things to come."  This promise of the Lord indicates that the Holy Spirit would reveal to them the truth of the Scriptures already previously written in the Old Testament, but would also show them "things to come."  And again, the Lord's promise to His diciples has been, and continues to be, fulfilled to the letter.  
      After the Holy Spirit was given to the Lord's disciples and New Testament Church, as recorded in Acts 2, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, wrote the Four Gospels and the Book of Acts.  Peter wrote the two epistles of Peter.  James wrote his epistle.  Jude wrote his epistle. John wrote the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd epistles of John, and then wrote the great book of Revelation. And while they were writing, the Lord God saved and raised up the Apostle Paul to write the epistles of Paul.  All of these Scriptures, including those in the Old Testament, were written through the presence, and by the power, of the Holy Spirit of God, 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19-21.   And our Bible was complete!  Praise the Lord!
     1 Corinthians 2:14-15.......But the Scriptures were not only written under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  According to the passage in 1 Corinthians 2:14-15, they must be discerned [understood] by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, and can only be discerned by a true believer in whom the Spirit of God is dwelling.  
An Absolute Requirement
     It is stated plainly and explicitly that "the natural man" cannot "know" [understand] the meaning of the Scriptures, regardless of how many times he reads them.  The "natural man" is any person who has never experienced a spiritual "new birth."  The Lord Jesus, in no uncertain terms, told Nicodemus, a Pharisee and relgious leader of Israel, "ye must be born again," John 3:3-7.
Just Reading the Bible Won't Do.......
      I once encountered a man who claimed to have read through the Bible from cover to cover 400 times.  Yet he also claimed, and was known to be, devoted to a false cult religious system.  What good had just reading through the Bible done him?  He was still lost in his sin, and perfectly content in his anti-God, unscriptural religious cult.  
     I don't know of a single Scripture anywhere in the Bible which tells us to "read your Bible."  Not one!  The nearest Scripture I can find in the Bible, which even comes close to this, is where the Apostle Paul instructed the young pastor, Timothy, "Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine," 1 Timothy 4:13.  However, I do find Scripture exhorting true believers to "STUDY" the Bible, and learn how to "rightly divide" the Word of Truth, 2 Timothy 2:15.   
     There is a big difference in just reading, and in seriously studying the Bible. Any dimwit who learned to read in kindergarten or the first grade in school can read the Bible.  But it takes a true believer who has truly given themselves to the Lord in repentance and faith to understand what they are reading in the Bible.  Has the reader of this study been saved?  Does the reader have the assurance of salvation, that only the indwelling prescence of the Holy Spirit can give?  
      This is not written to discourage anyone from reading the Bible.  I personally love to read God's Word, and meditate upon what I have read.   In doing so, we not only learn our way around in the Bible, but we learn the great comforting and spiritual growth building truths set forth in the Scriptures.  Read Psalm 119:15-24; 119:48.  
Spiritual Discernment
     Every truth in the Bible is not plainly stated in every detail.  The more one seriously studies Gods Word, the easier it becomes to see that God has hidden some truths in His Word, to be revealed at His own "appointed time."   If every spiritual truth were clearly stated, we would not need the Holy Spirit to help us discern the meaning of some passages in God's Word.  There are different Scriptures in God's Word which, when first read, seem incomplete or lacking, until they are harmonized with other Scriptures in the Bible, to complete or reveal a spiritual truth. These hidden truths in the Word will literally bless the hearts of God's people when they are revealed.    This is called discernment.  It is a work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a true believer who is earnestly seeking to know the great truths of God's Word.  What a joy and blessing it is, when a number of different Scriptures all come together to reveal one of these great truths hidden in God's Word.  I know, for our merciful and compassionate Lord God has graciously revealed a number of these hidden truths to me, during my years in the Lord's ministry.  I marvel at some of the things the Lord has shown me, through the discerning power of His Holy Spirit.  For instance.......
We Shall be Like Him
     The beloved John, in his epistle in 1 John 3:1-3 was inspired of God to write, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not.
     Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.
     And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure."  
     When I read these Scripture for the first time many years ago, I assumed, like most of God's people, that this meant we will receive a "glorified body" similar to the body of our beloved Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.  In other words, I did not take these Scriptures as literal truth for what they actually and literally say.  Over many years in the Lord's ministry, I found that other believers also "interpreted" these Scriptures the same way I did.  Similar but not the same!  
     However, as I have now eagerly and intensely studied God's Word over many years, I have come to believe that the inspired Word actually and literally says what it means, and means what it says.  
      In Philippians 3:20-21, we read, "For our conversation [way of life] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
     Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself."  
     Again, I have heard many Christians expounding on these Scriptures, saying that this means we believers will receive a body similar  to the body of Christ Jesus at the time of the resurrection and rapture.  That theory is not what this Scripture says, and it is not what 1 John 3:1-3 says.  Both of these Scripture passages state quite clearly that our "glorified" bodies will be "like.....His glorious body."  Actually and literally.  
     Then in John 3:16, the Heavenly Father speaks of Christ as "...His only begotten son."  Yet we New Testament believers are referred to as "the sons of God" eight times in the New Testament, and three times as being "begotten of God."  Readers, check it out for yourselves!  This means that Christ is no longer the only "begotten son of God," but through the "new birth" there is now a whole race of redeemed people whom God's Word refers to as being "begotten" of God.   
     This is why James, one of the Lord's disciples, could say in his epistle, "Of His own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind [new species] of firstfruits of His creatures," James 1:18.  
     This is also why the Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15:49 clearly stated, "And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly."  In 1 John 3:2, John said that  "...we shall see Him as He is."  In other words, we believers are going to see the Lord Jesus Christ face to face, and be made like Him, 1 Corinthians 13:12; 15:49.  When we believers see our Savior at the rapture, His likeness shall be superimposed upon the face of every one of us, so that just as a child to a certain extent,  bears the image of it's mother or father, so we will bear the image of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Glory to God!  Hallelujah!  Praise the Lord!  
    Paul also said in 1 Corinthians 15:52-54 that our present body, which is mortal [subject to death], and corruptible, "...must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." Now surely every reader knows that the human, but now "glorifed,"  body of Christ is immortal, and that it is impossible for Him to be corrupted and sin, Hebrews 6:17-20.   And when we see Him, "we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is," 1 John 3:2.  
     Oh, glory to God!  Won't it be wonderful when every true believer is given a new body that will never be subject to sin, sickness, death, or any of the other problems that cause us suffering and heartache today?  We New Testament believers are in the process of being "created in Christ Jesus" into a whole new species of mankind referred to in God's Word as "the sons of God."  
     The Special Purpose
     No!  Before some reader jumps to conclusions and accuses me of  teaching that the God is creating more "Christs," let me state clearly that there will never be but one Lord Jesus Christ, yet we New Covenant believers are going to have "glorified" bodies exactly like His body, and will even look like Him in many ways as we bear His image, 1 Cor. 15:49.  There will be no need for any more "Christs," for the Lord Jesus has already paid the sin debt of mankind as He "died once for all," Romans 6:10; Hebrews 7:27; 9:12; 10:10; 1 Peter 3:18.  
     But then why is the Lord God creating a new species or race of mankind, which, when we receive our new bodies, will be almost identical in appearance to the Lord Jesus Christ?  I'm so glad you asked!  
     In the process of the "new birth" the Lord is creating a perfect "glorified" government to rule and reign with Him in His righteous Kingdom, forever and ever over redeemed natural mankind still living in their natural bodies upon the earth.  This is to guarantee that what happened with Adam in the Garden of Eden,  will never again happen to mankind in all of the eternal "ages to come," Ephesians 2:5-7.  Glory to God!  Praise the Lord!  
     Now read Revelation 5:8-10, and give glory and praise and honor and worship to our only true and righteous God.  
Conclusion
     Do our readers want to have a part in this grand future the Lord God has planned for His people?  Then don't rest until you have the assurance that you have been saved, and belong to Father God, through faith in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, Ephesians 1:7, 2:8-10, 2:13, 2 Peter 1:10-11.  Plain enough?
      And may our gracious Lord God add His blessings to this message.
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     Permission is granted to any true believer, or Bible believing Christian ministry to reproduce this study to share with others, or to quote from it in context as written.  
     Those readers who would like to contact me personally, can do so by one of the following methods.......
     Postal:     Pastor F. M. Riley, 14275 Co. Rd. 8120, Rolla, MO 65401
     Email:     francismriley34@gmail.com
     Phone:    573-202-6493  
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